Ukraine
\nWestern leaders have reacted nervously to a Chinese peace plan for Ukraine due to be revealed this week, but cautiously welcomed the move as a first sign that China recognises the war cannot be regarded solely as a European affair.
\nSpeaking at the Munich Security Conference, China\u2019s senior diplomat Wang Yi, one of the few external politicians able to influence Russia, announced that China would launch its peace initiative on the anniversary of the war, and has already been consulting Germany, Italy and France on its proposals.
\nHe said the peace plan would underscore the need to uphold the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the UN Charter. But at the same time he said the legitimate security interests of Russia needed to be respected.
\nDiplomats who have been briefed by China are unclear how specific Beijing intends to be or whether the plan will lapse into vacuities about peaceful solutions that are sometimes a feature of Chinese diplomacy. A Chinese move to portray the west as warmongers could find echoes in the global south.
\nAnnalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, welcomed China\u2019s move, saying: \u201cAs a permanent member of the UN security council, China has an obligation to use its influence to secure world peace.\u201d
\nShe said she had spoken intensively with Wang on Friday about \u201cwhat a just peace means \u2013 not that you reward the aggressor, but that you stand up for international law and for those who have been attacked\u201d.
\nThe same message has been delivered to China by French and Italian diplomats.
\nBaerbock said a just peace presupposes \u201cthat the one who violated territorial integrity, namely Russia, withdraws its troops from the occupied country. World peace is based on the fact that we all recognise the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each country.\u201d
\nAt the same time, however, it is also clear that \u201cevery chance\u201d for peace must be used.
\nWithout a complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine, there is no chance of an end to the war, said Baerbock. \u201cEven if it\u2019s difficult\u201d, all demands to end the war by ceding territory to Russia are unacceptable. \u201cThat would mean that we make the people prey to Russia. We will not do that.\u201d
\nChina knows there is a ready audience across the global south if it makes a call for dialogue and peace.
\nThe Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira insisted his country had condemned Russia\u2019s aggression including at the UN, but added: \u201cWe have to try to make a solution possible. We cannot limit ourselves to talking about the war. I am not referring to immediate negotiations \u2013 we would have to go step by step, perhaps first create an environment that makes a negotiation possible.\u201d
\nThe prime minister of Namibia, Saara Kuugongelwa, said: \u201cWe want to solve the problem, we don\u2019t want to find the culprit. It is of no use that Russia is spending money on weapons and the west is financing Ukraine to buy weapons.\u201d
\nSome western powers are considering whether to press for a fresh UN general assembly resolution backing Ukraine, in the hope that an overwhelming vote in favour would highlight Russia\u2019s lack of international support. But while a vote last year saw 141 nations back Ukraine, it is unclear how many fresh converts exist in the global south.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ukraine Western leaders have reacted nervously to a Chinese peace plan for Ukraine due to be revealed this week, but cautiously welcomed the move as a first sign that China recognises the war cannot be regarded solely as a European affair. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, China\u2019s senior diplomat Wang Yi, one of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-314773","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n